In the U.S., calcium intake is one of the highest in the world, yet paradoxically we also have one of the highest rates of bone demineralization (osteoporosis). Bone mineral content is dependent not just upon calcium intake, but upon net calcium balance (calcium intake minus calcium excretion). Most nutritionists focus upon the calcium intake side of the calcium balance equation; however, few realize that the calcium excretion side of the equation is just as important.
Bone health is substantially dependent on dietary acid/base balance. All foods upon digestion ultimately must report to the kidneys as either acid or base. When the diet yields a net acid load (such as low-carb fad diets that restrict consumption of fruits and vegetables), the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body. Calcium salts in the bones represent the largest store of alkaline base in the body and are depleted and eliminated in the urine when the diet produces a net acid load. The highest acid-producing foods are hard cheeses, cereal grains, salted foods, meats, and legumes, whereas the only alkaline, base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables. Because the average American diet is overloaded with grains, cheeses, salted processed foods, and fatty meats at the expense of fruits and vegetables, it produces a net acid load and promotes bone demineralization. By replacing hard cheeses, cereal grains, and processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance which brings us also back into calcium balance. The goal is to avoid a net acid load on your kidneys.
The Paleo Diet recommends an appropriate balance of acidic and basic (alkaline) foods (i.e., grass produced or free ranging meats, fish and seafood, fruits, and vegetables) and will not cause osteoporosis in otherwise healthy individuals. Indeed, The Paleo Diet supports bone health.
In addition to promoting bone demineralization, a net acid-producing diet also contributes to the following maladies and illnesses: calcium kidney stones, age-related muscle wasting, hypertension, stroke, asthma and exercise-induced asthma.
Acid/Base Values for 114 Foods
The following table lists the acid, base values for 114 common foods. Base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables, whereas grains, meats, fish, cheese and salted processed foods are acid-producing.
PRAL (Potential Renal Acid Load per 100 grams)
(Negative numbers indicate base or alkaline-producing foods and positive numbers are acid-producing foods)
Food Item (sorted alphabetically) | PRAL (Potential Renal Acid Load per 100g) |
Apple Juice, unfiltered | -22,00 |
Apples, 15 varieties flesh & skin, average | -22,00 |
Apricots | -48,00 |
Asparagus | -4,00 |
Bananas | -55,00 |
Beans, green/French beans | -31,00 |
Beef, lean only | 78,00 |
Beer, draft | -2,00 |
Beer, pale | 9,00 |
Beer, stout bottled | -1,00 |
Black currants | -65,00 |
Bread, rye flour | 41,00 |
Bread, rye flour mixed | 4,00 |
Bread, wheat flour mixed | 38,00 |
Bread, wheat flour whole meal | 18,00 |
Bread, white bread | 37,00 |
Broccoli, green | -12,00 |
Butter | 6,00 |
Buttermilk | 5,00 |
Camembert cheese | 146,00 |
Carrots, young | -49,00 |
Cauliflower | -4,00 |
Celery | -52,00 |
Cheddar cheese, reduced fat | 264,00 |
Cheese, Gouda | 186,00 |
Cherries | -36,00 |
Chicken, meat only | 87,00 |
Chicory | -2,00 |
Chocolates, milk | 24,00 |
Coca-cola | 4,00 |
Cocoa, made with semi-skimmed milk | -4,00 |
Cod fillets | 71,00 |
Coffee, infusion 5 minutes | -14,00 |
Corned beef, canned | 132,00 |
Cornflakes | 6,00 |
Cottage Cheese, Plain | 87,00 |
Creams, fresh, sour | 12,00 |
Crispbread, rye | 33,00 |
Cucumber | -8,00 |
Egg white | 11,00 |
Egg yolk | 234,00 |
Eggplant | -34,00 |
Eggs, chicken, whole | 82,00 |
Frankfurters | 67,00 |
Fresh Cheese (Quark) | 111,00 |
Full fat, soft cheese | 43,00 |
Grape juice, unsweetened | -1,00 |
Haddock | 68,00 |
Hard cheese, average 4 types | 192,00 |
Hazelnuts | -28,00 |
Herring | 7,00 |
Honey | -3,00 |
Ice Cream, dairy, vanilla | 6,00 |
Kiwi fruit | -41,00 |
Leeks | -18,00 |
Lemon juice | -25,00 |
Lentils, green and brown, whole, dried | 35,00 |
Lettuce, average 4 varieties | -25,00 |
Lettuce, iceberg | -16,00 |
Liver sausage | 106,00 |
Luncheon meat, canned | 102,00 |
Madeira cake | 37,00 |
Margarine | -5,00 |
Marmalade | -15,00 |
Mineral water (Apollinaris) | -18,00 |
Mineral water (Volvic) | -1,00 |
Mushrooms, common | -14,00 |
Noodles, egg | 64,00 |
Oat flakes, rolled oats | 107,00 |
Olive oil | 0,00 |
Onions | -15,00 |
Orange juice, unsweetened | -29,00 |
Oranges | -27,00 |
Parmesan cheese | 342,00 |
Peaches | -24,00 |
Peanuts, plain | 83,00 |
Pears, 3 varieties flesh and skin, average | -29,00 |
Peas | 12,00 |
Peppers, green | -14,00 |
Pineapple | -27,00 |
Pork, lean only | 79,00 |
Potatoes, gold | -4,00 |
Processed cheese, plain | 287,00 |
Radish, red | -37,00 |
Raisins | -21,00 |
Red wine | -24,00 |
Rice, brown | 125,00 |
Rice, white, easy cook | 46,00 |
Rice, white, easy cook, boiled | 17,00 |
Rump steak, lean and fat | 88,00 |
Rye flour, whole | 59,00 |
Salami | 118,00 |
Spaghetti, white | 65,00 |
Spaghetti, whole meal | 73,00 |
Spinach | -14,00 |
Strawberries | -22,00 |
Sugar, white | -1,00 |
Sunflower seed oil | 0,00 |
Tea, Indian infusion | -3,00 |
Tomato juice | -28,00 |
Tomatoes | -31,00 |
Trout, brown steamed | 108,00 |
Turkey, meat only | 99,00 |
Veal, fillet | 9,00 |
Walnuts | 68,00 |
Watermelon | -19,00 |
Wheat flour, white plain | 69,00 |
Wheat flour, whole meal | 82,00 |
White wine, dry | -12,00 |
Whole milk, evaporated | 11,00 |
Whole milk, pasteurized | 7,00 |
Yogurt, whole milk, fruit | 12,00 |
Yogurt, whole milk, plain | 15,00 |
Zucchini | -46,00 |
Food Item (sorted by PRAL value) | PRAL (Potential Renal Acid Load per 100g) |
Black currants | -65,00 |
Bananas | -55,00 |
Celery | -52,00 |
Carrots, young | -49,00 |
Apricots | -48,00 |
Zucchini | -46,00 |
Kiwi fruit | -41,00 |
Radish, red | -37,00 |
Cherries | -36,00 |
Eggplant | -34,00 |
Beans, green/French beans | -31,00 |
Tomatoes | -31,00 |
Orange juice, unsweetened | -29,00 |
Pears, 3 varieties flesh and skin, average | -29,00 |
Hazelnuts | -28,00 |
Tomato juice | -28,00 |
Oranges | -27,00 |
Pineapple | -27,00 |
Lemon juice | -25,00 |
Lettuce, average 4 varieties | -25,00 |
Peaches | -24,00 |
Red wine | -24,00 |
Apple Juice, unfiltered | -22,00 |
Apples, 15 varieties flesh & skin, average | -22,00 |
Strawberries | -22,00 |
Raisins | -21,00 |
Watermelon | -19,00 |
Leeks | -18,00 |
Mineral water (Apollinaris) | -18,00 |
Lettuce, iceberg | -16,00 |
Marmalade | -15,00 |
Onions | -15,00 |
Coffee, infusion 5 minutes | -14,00 |
Mushrooms, common | -14,00 |
Peppers, green | -14,00 |
Spinach | -14,00 |
Broccoli, green | -12,00 |
White wine, dry | -12,00 |
Cucumber | -8,00 |
Margarine | -5,00 |
Asparagus | -4,00 |
Cauliflower | -4,00 |
Cocoa, made with semi-skimmed milk | -4,00 |
Potatoes, gold | -4,00 |
Honey | -3,00 |
Tea, Indian infusion | -3,00 |
Beer, draft | -2,00 |
Chicory | -2,00 |
Beer, stout bottled | -1,00 |
Grape juice, unsweetened | -1,00 |
Mineral water (Volvic) | -1,00 |
Sugar, white | -1,00 |
Olive oil | 0,00 |
Sunflower seed oil | 0,00 |
Bread, rye flour mixed | 4,00 |
Coca-cola | 4,00 |
Buttermilk | 5,00 |
Butter | 6,00 |
Cornflakes | 6,00 |
Ice Cream, dairy, vanilla | 6,00 |
Herring | 7,00 |
Whole milk, pasteurized | 7,00 |
Beer, pale | 9,00 |
Veal, fillet | 9,00 |
Egg white | 11,00 |
Whole milk, evaporated | 11,00 |
Creams, fresh, sour | 12,00 |
Peas | 12,00 |
Yogurt, whole milk, fruit | 12,00 |
Yogurt, whole milk, plain | 15,00 |
Rice, white, easy cook, boiled | 17,00 |
Bread, wheat flour whole meal | 18,00 |
Chocolates, milk | 24,00 |
Crispbread, rye | 33,00 |
Lentils, green and brown, whole, dried | 35,00 |
Bread, white bread | 37,00 |
Madeira cake | 37,00 |
Bread, wheat flour mixed | 38,00 |
Bread, rye flour | 41,00 |
Full fat, soft cheese | 43,00 |
Rice, white, easy cook | 46,00 |
Rye flour, whole | 59,00 |
Noodles, egg | 64,00 |
Spaghetti, white | 65,00 |
Frankfurters | 67,00 |
Haddock | 68,00 |
Walnuts | 68,00 |
Wheat flour, white plain | 69,00 |
Cod fillets | 71,00 |
Spaghetti, whole meal | 73,00 |
Beef, lean only | 78,00 |
Pork, lean only | 79,00 |
Eggs, chicken, whole | 82,00 |
Wheat flour, whole meal | 82,00 |
Peanuts, plain | 83,00 |
Chicken, meat only | 87,00 |
Cottage Cheese, Plain | 87,00 |
Rump steak, lean and fat | 88,00 |
Turkey, meat only | 99,00 |
Luncheon meat, canned | 102,00 |
Liver sausage | 106,00 |
Oat flakes, rolled oats | 107,00 |
Trout, brown steamed | 108,00 |
Fresh Cheese (Quark) | 111,00 |
Salami | 118,00 |
Rice, brown | 125,00 |
Corned beef, canned | 132,00 |
Camembert cheese | 146,00 |
Cheese, Gouda | 186,00 |
Hard cheese, average 4 types | 192,00 |
Egg yolk | 234,00 |
Cheddar cheese, reduced fat | 264,00 |
Processed cheese, plain | 287,00 |
Parmesan cheese | 342,00 |